Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Scandalous, the new album by Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, is a record I just kind of heard by accident and haven't quite been able to shake since my first listen. "Livin In The Jungle" opens the tight 39-minute set with soaring horns and funky guitar grooves, and in a burst- Mr. Lewis arrives in full force. The leader delivers smoldering declarations throughout, and together with The Honeybears, the collective oozes out of the speakers with a well-balanced admiration of classic rock, the DIY punk aesthetics of the garage, and the staples of a well-schooled audiophile's soul collection.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Acony Records has announced that on June 28, 2011 they will release The Harrow & The Harvest, the new album by Gillian Welch, featuring ten new songs recorded at her own Woodland Sound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee and produced by David Rawlings.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

"Man, that voice". That's what I found myself saying as I began smiling and shaking my head to "Surprise", the opening track on Sean Rowe's Magic. His singing just hit me like a ton of bricks. As his rich, dark, and uniquely singular baritone softly-sung "“You were nothing but the fragrance of an old dream / that was just time playing tricks on my mind", I knew I stumbled onto something special.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

In the New York bluegrass scene, Michael Daves is one of the scene's biggest enthusiasts. He hosts a bi-weekly bluegrass jam and he maintains an ongoing residency at Rockwood Music Hall, both of which are on the Lower East Side on Manhattan. In addition, Michael teaches full-time, is also a member of Tony Trischka's Territory, and maintains his home studio where he works as a recording producer. His latest project is a new album that he recorded with Chris Thile at Jack White's Third Man Records studio, called Sleep With One Eye Open.

Monday, May 9, 2011

The Uprooted Album Revue highlights new releases, reissues, and my own latest discoveries.

For this edition of the Uprooted Music Revue, I would like to share three exciting new releases by artists that are each looking to the past for inspiration, very much living and innovating their craft in the present, while continuing to move ahead artistically.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Following the stellar reissues of Murmur, Recknoning, and Fables of The Reconstruction, R.E.M. has announced that Lifes Rich Pageant, The 2-CD 25th Anniversary Edition, will hit the shelves on July 12th.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

O' Death's new album, Outside, finds the band expanding on their previous efforts, with all of their theatrically-nuanced storytelling and Appalachian-inspired musical prowess firmly intact. It's an equally declarative and measured record from the New York band. Although it's still one that enthusiastically lurches forward without inhibition along with the band's other fine albums, O' Death seem to have crafted Outside with a purposeful attention to it's details.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Southeast Engine hails from Athens, OH. After listening to their new record, Canary, it not only makes me a little misty for the small town where I went to graduate school, but for the good people, local downtown characters, and the vibrant music scene that is nestled in that little town that treated me so damn well. The young boys of Southeast Engine have crafted a haunting, timeless, and at times, astoundingly vibrant record of Depression-era tales of their own home in Appalachia.

Writer

Chris Mateer is a music writer living in Portland, OR. He is the founder of the Uprooted Music Revue, and is a featured blogger on No Depression. In addition to music writing, Chris teaches visual art and plays the mandolin and drums.